UF/IFAS International Programs Office of the Vice President for Agriculture & Natural Resources Gainesville, Florida 32611

IFAS, ESPOL expand collaboration in research, extension

UF/IFAS's longstanding coopera-
tive agreement with ESPOL in Ecua-
dor is expanding to include new op-
portunities in research focused on
small farms and collaboration in ex-
tension programs in coastal marine
resource management.
New research opportunities could
link UF/IFAS to Ecuador's national
research program. International Pro-
grams Assistant Director Lisette Staal
visited Ecuador in January to explore
opportunities with ESPOL under the
cooperative agreement.
Emerging research opportunities
involve UF and two key entities in Ec-
uador, a national research center
named Pichilingue managed by IN-
IAP, Ecuador's National Institute for
Agricultural Research, and ESPOL.
Staal and Ramon Espinel of ESPOL
met with national directors of INIAP
and the director of the Pichilingue re-

From the director
Another international
opportunity emerges
By Roger Natzke

We recently re-
ceived a contact from
Bisi Adjapon-Yamo-
ah. project manager
for the Norman E.
Borlaug International
Agricultural Science Fellows for
West Africa. He would like to add

search station to discuss collaboration.
The representatives were enthusiastic.
"This is
the first
time that "
ESPOL,
UF and
INIAP sat .,
down to- ..
gether as a *
team to
talk about
research Lisette Staal and Ignacio
opportuni- Sotomayor Herrera,
ties," she director of Pichilingue
said. "The research station.
hopes are that over the next few
months, we will implement the initial
stages of this team effort and coopera-
tive project focused on small farmers
in the region."
Representatives of the three organi-
zations will evaluate research opportu-

UF/IFAS to the list of institutions that
would cooperate with them in pro\ id-
ing short-term training for soung sci-
entists from developing countries.
Of particular interest to them is our
expertise in tropical agriculture. The
system is designed to have young sci-
entist from de eloping countries
paired with a UF/IFAS faculty person
for a four-six week period.
During their stay they would learn
ne\t techniques and become familiar
See Tropical agriculture, p. 2

nities and design the initial phase of
collaboration.
ESPOL's department of marine sci-
ence is looking to UF to learn about
and adapt a method of extension for
their programs. ESPOL does not have
an extension function, although it has
been working with communities and
outreach programs. ESPOL has re-
search and community programs in
marine science and fisheries, and UF/
IFAS could play a role in enhancing
ESPOL's extension and outreach pro-
gram in marine sciences, youth devel-
opment, and environmental steward-
ship. ESPOL is looking to U.S. pro-
grams that are supported by Sea
Grant, a federal program with a Flori-
da office based in UF/IFAS. Staal met
with ESPOL faculty in marine science
to develop a cooperative program that
could involve ESPOL faculty partici-
pating in training at UF/IFAS in the
management of marine natural re-
sources. ESPOL's marine research is
based in CENAIMN-the National
Center for Aquaculture and Re-
search-and managed through the de-
partment of marine sciences. %\ which
Staal visitedd during her three-day stay
in Ecuador.
This \ i,,it could expand the areas of
cooperation between the two uni\ersi-
See Ecuador, p. 2

Tropical agriculture, from p. 1
with the University of Florida. Upon
their return they are expected to pro-
vide a seminar for their peers regard-
ing their learning experience in the
United States. In addition they will be
expected to set up a research project
utilizing the information gained %while
here.
The UF faculty mentor would be
expected to isit the fellow's home
institution to facilitate a cooperative
research effort.
Currently they are looking for op-
portunities for five fellows from the
Republic of Cameroon. West Africa.
We have asked the director of the
program to send us the information
regarding the interests of the potential
fellows and w.e assured them that ,we
would work at finding appropriate
mentor for them. If y)ou wish to be
considered for the program please
contact the International Programs
Office. For more information on the
program go to http://
ww w .fas.usda.go /icd/borlaug/
borlaug.htm .
For a number of years UF/IFAS
has been providing language training,
in Spanish, for our faculty and staff.
NMany people on campus have bene-
fited from that opportunity. Unfortu-
nately a similar opportunity has not
been made available for our faculty
and staff who are located in other ar-
eas of the stmoe.
At the next meeting of our Interna-
tional Programs advisory committee
the\ will be asked to appoint a com-
mittee to re' iew the current language-
training program and to make a rec-
ommendation to our administration
that will provide an equitable system
for all of our employees.

R ussia and the United States have
developed different educational
models for teaching and research. In
the Russian model, research is the
responsibility of the Russian Acade-
my of Sciences. 7 ..W4
Education is the
responsibility of
NllinistrN of Edtiu- .
cation.
This model
leads to a dis-
tance betw een
research and ed- Kratasyuk
ucation. particularly for undergradu-
ates. Valentina Kratas.uk. head of
the biophy sical department of Kras-
noNarsk State Uni'ersity. is at UF on
a Fulbright Scholarship to see how
science and teaching are integrated.
Her observations ill be incorpo-
rated into a plan for Krasnoyarsk
State Uni'ersity and its related re-
search and educational centers that
w ill then serve as a model for other
Russian universities.
"It w ill be helpful for me to under-
stand how this connection between
education and research is accom-
plished at this university." she said.
In Russia. research educational
centers were developed to fuse teach-
ing and research. Kratasv1uk is the
educational director of a center asso-
ciated with Krasnoyarsk State Uni-
\ersiti. This and other centers are
responsible for molding a ne'w gener-

Ecuador, From p. 1
ties and lead to an exchange of re-
searchers and extensionists in marine
science.
On a related note. a recent project
based in Sea Grant at the federal le'-
el has been exploring the potential
for establishing an international Sea
Grant initiative for management of
marine resources in three internation-
al settings. Nicaragua. Honduras and
Ecuador. ESPOL is one of the partic-

action of scientists, teachers and tech-
nicians skilled in monitoring ecologi-
cal sy stems and creating programs for
conserve action.
The research educational centers
ha'e begun to combine research and
education through a series of pro-
grams, courses. acti\ cities. lectures.
and educational incentives for faculty.
But more %work needs to be done.
At UF/IFAS, Kratas uk is w working
the department of agricultural and bio-
logical engineering with professor
Ray Bucklin. This is her third % visit to
UF/IFAS.
Bucklin said Krata`suk is among
the top researchers worldwide in bi-
oluminescence. Her expertise could
complement some of the work he and
his colleagues ar UF/IFAS are doing.
"I work with control of environ-
mental systems for the productive
grow th of plants," said Bucklin. "Her
%work can develop sensors that are use-
ful for monitoring the 'wide range bio-
logical systems that we %work with in
IFAS."
Kratasyuk has a doctoral degree from
the Institute of Biophysics. Siberian
Branch of Russian Academy of Scienc-
es in biology and biophysics. She also
has a Ph.D. from the Institute of Bio-
physics. Siberian Branch of Russian
Academy of Sciences/Krasno arsk.
Contacts
( Valentina Kratasyuk. krata @ufl.edu
Ray Buckliln. bucklin @ uf. edu )

pants in this effort. A UF/ESPOL ini-
tiati'e on extension ma. link to the in-
ternational Sea Grant initiative. UF/
IFAS and Florida Sea Grant ha'e
much to contribute because of the cur-
rent interactions. cooperate e agree-
ments and longstanding ties UF/IFAS
has in place 'w ith institutions in those
countries.
Contact
( Lisette Staal. lms@ifas.ufl.edu

Focus

GEAP provides practical education in gender analysis

rIhe Gender, Environment and Par-
.I ticipation Program--or GEAP-is
reaching out beyond campus bound-
aries while it enhances its involvement
in teaching, research and extension on
campus.
An initiative with Heifer Project
International provides an opportunity
for graduate students to participate in
hands-on analysis of gender and par-
ticipation issues and production of
training materials. A graduate course
in gender analysis offers in-depth edu-
cation and participation.
The initiatives are the result of
GEAP's move to agricultural educa-
tion and communication. GEAP Coor-
dinator Marta Hartmann, with assis-
tance from international and domestic
graduate students, is expanding
GEAP's involvement and the opportu-
nities for students to get experience in
gender analysis.
"I see an enormous potential to de-

Gender analysis tools
"Tarticipants from diverse disciplines
! throughout campus learned to re-
late gender to their research at the
Gender Analysis Workshop on Martin
Luther King Jr. day.
With presentations, working
sessions, theory discussions and a
discussion relating gender analysis
tools to research, 19 participants
spent the day working together un-
der the leadership of 11 trainers
with international experience in
gender analysis.
Trainers spent nearly two
months preparing for the work-
shop. An element of the training MaN
issu
was the interaction among partici- -
pants, said Britt Coles, lead planner
for the training. The diverse back-
grounds and experience of participants
enhanced the educational experience.
The annual workshop is sponsored
by the Gender, Environment, Agricul-

velop the program and explore new
territory in terms of what we could do
outside our UF community," Hart-
mann said. "I personally am very
much interested in seeing GEAP ex-
pand its role within a global context."
The initiative with Heifer Project
International involves producing
training materials for incorporating
gender awareness into HPI's interac-
tion with domestic clients. HPI has
provided funding for GEAP graduate
students to produce the materials. Un-
der leadership of Sandra Russo, UF
International Center director of Pro-
gram Development & Federal Rela-
tions and principal investigator for the
HPI project, graduate students are get-
ting experience. Russo, Hartmann,
and students Gina Canales, Camilo
Cornejo and Tirhani Manganyi visited
communities served by HPI in Ala-
bama in December. The next phase is
spring break, when the team will con-

duct interviews using the sondeo-a
team survey process that provides in-
formation rapidly and economically
about agricultural and rural problems.
Hartmann has integrated the HPI-
initiative with educational programs
so that students taking Farming Sys-
tems can participate in the sondeo.
With participation from GEAP stu-
dents, Hartmann is teaching Gender,
Environment, Agriculture and Partici-
pation. She plans to make the course a
regular offering. Students can partici-
pate in the sondeo.
"We really believe in providing re-
search opportunities and hands-on ex-
periences to our graduate students,
and thanks to our collaboration with
Heifer Project International, we have
the opportunity," she said.
In the future she plans to offer a
short-term study tour to Ecuador,
where students explore international
gender issues.

for research are the focus of GEAP workshop

ture and Participation Program, or
GEAP, and the Tropical Conservation
and Development Program.
After opening sessions, the group
worked on an analysis of stakehold-

ers' power structure based on a video-
cassette about a magistrate in South
Africa who visits rural groups of peo-
ple to explain the nation's position on
gender equality.
Participants evaluated the stake-

January 2005

holders in the video and constructed
models to illustrate power structures.
Participants represented diverse
fields on campus including anthropol-
ogy, political science, agriculture, his-
tory, natural resources, law, sociology,
geography, and animal science.
Maxine Downs, a doctoral student
in economic anthropology, found the
training useful in her research on cloth
dyers in Mali, Africa. The workers are
largely women who are income earn-
ers for the family. Downs is studying
how they utilize a microcredit pro-
gram in their decisions about health
care, education and other issues.
"Some of this training is a review,"
she said, "but it reaffirms what I
know. I can incorporate a lot of con-
cepts into my research."
Contact
SMarta Hartmann, mmh@ifas.ufl.edu J

3

Office of International Programs
University of Florida
Office of the Vice President for Agriculture
and Natural Resources
P.O. Box 110282
Gainesville, FL 32611-0282

Extension faculty and administra-
ors from throughout the United
States participated in the Global Per-
spective II Internationalizing Exten-
sion conference in January co-spon-
sored by UF/IFAS.
Presentations on international top-
ics from leading extension faculty
across the nation addressed topics
ranging from helping U.S. citizens un-
derstand global issues to overcoming
barriers of language and culture.
Seminars included working with
diverse audiences, Web site and cur-
riculum development.
UF/IFAS District Extension Direc-
tor Pete Vergot moderated the opening
session and a session on mini-grants.
About 120 people from 24 states par-
ticipated in the conference.
The conference Jan. 18-20 in Or-
lando, Fla., was co-hosted with Michi-
gan State University and CSREES

U.S. Department of Agriculture. It
was a component of the National Ini-
tiative to Internationalize Extension, a
three-year program funded by CS-
REES-USDA.
More on the national initiative can

CSTAF Assistant Director Mike
Bannister gave a presentation on
lessons learned during his 20-year
experience in tree planting and
agroforestry projects in Haiti to the
Governor's Haiti Advisory Group.
In his presentation in January in
Coral Gables, Bannister described the
role and value of trees in Haitian
farming systems. Although trees serve
as savings, security and income for
small-scale, forests have declined
from about 8 percent in 1954 to less
than 2 percent today.
Bannister was involved in the

Agroforestry Outreach Project and the
Productive Land-use Project. The first
project focused on tree distribution
and soil conservation.
The second involved adding crops
to agroforestry systems.
The Governor's Haiti Advisory
Group was formed last year to assess
Haiti's economic development,
education, and environment and to
seek ways volunteers can help Haiti.